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Illustrated 
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WILLIAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 




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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



DESCRIPTIVE READING 



ON 



the WHITE MOUNTAINS 



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ILLUSTRATED BY TWELVE LANTERN 
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WILLIAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 

1890 






Copyright, 1890, by William h. Rau. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



i. The Stage Leaving. 

2. Panorama from Thorn Mountain. 

3. Jackson Falls. 

4. A Mountain Road. 

5. Wild-Cat and Glen Ellis. 

6. Tip-top House, Mt. Washington. 

7. View from Mt. Washington. 

8. Crawford Notch. 

9. Willey House. 

10. The Flume. 

11. The Profile. 

12. Profile Lake. 



806 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

Ammonoosac, one stream flowing south and the 
other north, divide the mountains into two principal 
groups — the White Mountain and Franconia. Let 
us visit the former first. 

1. The Stage Leaving-. — One of the most interest- 
ing approaches to the mountains is from the south- 
east, for at the Glen Station one can either follow the 
Saco through the Crawford Notch, or traverse the Pink- 
ham Notch and the Glen directly to Mount Washing- 
ton and the Presidential Range. Let us take the 
latter route. Not many years ago, all tourists through 
this region had to travel in just such vehicles as these, 
and, next to walking, no more delightful method of 
viewing the mountains could be imagined. Con- 
genial company, comfortable places high up from the. 
dusty roads, and above all, the glorious aspects of 
nature, new phases being presented at every turn of the 
road, made the old Concord Stages the ideal way to 
do the mountains. The coaches still remain, but are 
mainly used for excursion parties, and one keenly 
regrets the facility with which the railroad now hur- 
ries the visitor from point to point. The tourist now- 
a-days must lose many of the beauties enjoyed by 
the old-fashioned, slow folks, who were content to go 
by coach. It is needless to say that there was no de- 
mand for inside seats, either in those days or now. 

2. Panorama from Thorn Mountain. — About 
mid-way between the Glen Station and the town of 
Jackson, to the eastward, Thorn Mountain rises to a 
height of 1700 feet above the surrounding plain. 
From it superb views are had of the black gorges 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 807 

which open miles away towards Mount Washington, 
there being but few mountains in the whole region 
where the labor of ascent is so slight, and the view 
obtained so beautiful. From this point we can not 
only see the southwest peaks of the Presidential 
Range, but the crest of Mount Washington towering 
over Tuckerman's ravine ; the lower peaks and the 
green pastures in the intervales, combining to make a 
'scene of the utmost grandeur. In the foreground 
nestles the Alpine village of Jackson, at the con- 
fluence of the Wild-Cat Brook and Glen Ellis River. 
The town was settled as early as 1778, and was first 
called New Madbury ; but it received its present name 
because of the fact that in 1829, during the sharp 
political contest between Mr. Adams and Mr. Jackson, 
all the voters in the town (except one) voted for " Old 
Hickory." 

One of the north crests of Thorn Mountain is Tin 
Mountain, notable from the fact that the first dis- 
covery of that scarce and hence valuable metal in the 
United States was made there. 

3. Jackson Falls, Wild-Cat River.— The village 
of Jackson is not merely worthy of our notice because 
it is the centre of several interesting excursion 
routes, but has attractions of its own. It is situated 
in a pleasant valley, and there are fine views of Thorn 
and Iron Mountains. Directly in the village, and 
seen from the highway bridge which crosses the Wild- 
Cat River, or brook, for it is only a small mountain 
stream, are the Jackson Falls. As you see, the stream 
flows in white, silvery bands over the dark ledges into 
the quiet pools below. At times of high water they 



So8 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

are very attractive, and have the advantage of being 
readily accessible from either side. The vista shows 
the rounded form of one of the neighboring hills. 
Its sloping sides calls to mind the remark of a farmer 
in one of these glens, who, when asked if he did not 
enjoy the majestic views about and above him, re- 
plied : " Wal, yes ; but if I'd had the sortin' of those 
hills, I'd made 'em a little peakeder." Perhaps one 
does weary of "the flowing lines and heavy masses 
of the mountains," but there is something impressive 
in the thought of the deluges which have swept over 
the surfaces of these great hills, rounding their out- 
lines, and smoothing and polishing the rocks. 

4 A Mountain Road. — As our stage slowly 
makes its way up the Pinkham Notch, with the moun- 
tains before us growing higher and higher, and the 
country more wild as we approach, the traveler is 
reminded and can appreciate to some extent the awe 
in which the aboriginal inhabitants of this region held 
these hills. The vicinity of the main range was care- 
fully avoided by the Indians, who called it Agiochook, 
or, "the Place of the Great Spirit of the Forest." 
The highest peak was a sacred and stainless shrine, 
and no hunter was bold enough to approach it, much 
less scale its precipitious sides. Though the moun- 
tains teemed with game, and the streams with trout, 
the warriors who had lived all their lives within sight 
of the rocky peaks were restrained from visiting them 
by reverential awe. Those who dared to invade the 
shrine of the Great Spirit were reported never to 
have returned, but to have been condemned to wander 
forever among the gloomy ravines, "whence their 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 809 

despairing shrieks were borne from time to time to 
the valleys on the wings of the stormy winds." The 
Indians, too, had some strange legends about old 
Agiochook, one of which was that it was the Ararat of 
the New World — a tradition of the Noahian deluge, - 
whose memory is scattered among all the nations of 
the world. 

5. Wild-Cat and Glen Ellis.— One of the most 
striking of the mountains as we approach the base 
of Washington is Wild-Cat. It is 4350 feet high, 
thickly wooded to its summit, and at its foot flows the 
beautiful Ellis River. A clearing, however, has been 
made high up on the west side of Wild-Cat, from 
which is obtained perhaps the best view obtainable of 
Mount Washington, and the great ravines on its 
eastern face. The view also includes Mounts Jeffer- 
son and Adams, and the other peaks of the Presi- 
dential Range ; and in addition different stages of the 
carriage road which ascends from the Glen House to 
the Summit, 6293 feet above the sea ; its windings 
making it eight and a half miles long, although the 
actual distance is much less. 

We now come to what in some respects is the most 
interesting and impressive incident of our trip — the 
ascent of Mount Washington. Thanks to a company 
organized many years ago, a comfortable road has 
been constructed on this side of the mountain, and 
one can enjoy without reserve the views, which are 
of surpassing interest. Besides these the student of 
natural history will be filled with ^wonder to note the 
gradual disappearance of trees as he begins to ap- 
proach the limit of vegetation, the flora at and near 



8lO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

the summit being identical with that of the arctic 
regions of our continent. It is in fact an arctic island 
in the temperate zone. 

6. Tip-Top House. — The first ascent to the sum- 
mit of Mount Washington was made in 1642 by an 
adventurous Irishman, who had been warned by the 
Indians that he would die if he made the attempt. 
He succeeded, however, and his account of the view 
to be obtained is exceedingly quaint and entertaining. 
The Indian wars prevented much exploration, and it 
was not until 1784 that the first scientific expedition 
was made. It is believed that the party which made 
a visit to the summit at that date, named the moun- 
tain in honor of "the Father of his Country." 

The first house built upon the top, which is a level 
space less than an acre in area, was a stone cabin, 
erected in 1821, and here rested the first ladies who 
reached the top. This cabin was swept away by a 
terrific storm in August, 1826. 

The Tip-Top House, of which this is a view, 
was built in 1853, and is 28 by 84 feet. The heavy 
construction and braces are very necessary, for days 
on which there is no wind are very rare here. It is 
not uncommon for the wind to maintain the charac- 
teristics of a hurricane for days at a time. As may 
be imagined the winters on the summit are most 
severe, but since its feasibility was demonstrated in 
1871 by a party of volunteers, the U. S. Signal Ser- 
vice has occupied this important post of observation 
continuously. 

7. View from Mount Washington.— It would be 
foolish to attempt by any word description, or by a 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. Si I 

single photographic view, to give an idea of the 
magnificent view from the summit of Mount Wash- 
ington. The view-line sweeps around a circumference 
of nearly iooo miles, embracing parts of five States 
and of the Province of Quebec. One might almost 
say, with Ralph Waldo Emerson, that he could 

" Gaze o'er New England underspread, 
South from St. Lawrence to the Sound, 
From Catskill east to the sea-bound." 

Unless the visitor is well provided with warm cloth- 
ing and wraps, his view is very likely to be confined 
to the stove in the hotel office, for the wind is often 
very keen, and even in the month of August tempera- 
tures far below the freezing-point are not uncommon. 
We will suppose, however, that we have been more 
provident, and are well-provided with ulsters and 
shawls. Our first impression will be one of amaze- 
ment and wonder at the vastness of the prospect 
spread out before us. Yet there is much uncertainty 
about the matter, for cloudy days on the summit are 
more frequent than clear ones, and the visitor will 
often see more of cloud than of landscape. At the 
same time the cloud-effects, as Dr. Starr King has 
said, "Are the most surprising and fascinating 
pageants which the ascent of the mountain can dis- 
close." 

8. Crawford Notch.— On the western side of Mt. 
Washington a railway, having an average grade of 
1300 feet to the mile, and after which the road up the 
Rigi in Switzerland was modelled, has been con- 
structed, and by its means we are enabled to reach 



8i2 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

the head of the great White Mountain Notch and 
Crawford Notch, in much less time than it took us 
to ascend the mountain from the Glen side. The 
Notch is the deep pass which divides the mountains 
near the centre into the two groups already referred 
to, and presents some of the most wild and solemn 
scenery in the White Mountains, The Notch proper 
is only about three miles long, but the valley through 
its entire length is very narrow, the ridges rising 
boldly on each side. The highest point in the Notch 
is 1 9 14 feet above the sea, and the massive walls tower 
2000 feet above the Saco River, which occupies the 
bottom of the defile. While the Notch was probably 
known to the Indians it was rarely used, owing to 
their superstition concerning the mountains, and it 
was not known to the white settlers until its accidental 
discovery in 1771 by a border hunter. Soon after- 
wards a road was built which was a remarkable 
specimen of engineering, crossing the Saco no less 
than thirty-two times during the ascent of the valley. 

9. The Willey House. — At a point near the lower 
end of the Notch, between Mount Willey and Mount 
Webster, where the view is most sublime, stands the 
Willey House — the scene of a remarkable tragedy in 
1826. The old house, the middle one in the view be- 
fore us, was an ancient public house, but in 1825 it 
was occupied by Samuel Willey, Jr., and his family. 
In June of the following year two slides fell from the 
mountain behind the house, premonitory of the im- 
pending disaster. On the night of August 28, 1826, 
a terrible rain storm swept over the mountains. An 
avalanche swept down the mountains, carrying every- 
thing before it. A traveler who sometime afterwards 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 813 

forced his way through the ruin found that a great rock 
behind the Willey House had parted the avalanche,, 
and that the house was preserved intact. The house 
was deserted, however, and the bodies of Mr. and 
Mrs. Willey, two children and two hired men were 
found some distance away, buried in the slide. It is 
supposed that becoming alarmed at the rapid rise of 
the waters of Saco they sought a place of safety 
higher up the mountain, and were overwhelmed. 
Had they remained in their house they would have 
escaped. The place has a certain morbid interest, 
but the surrounding mountains will be found much 
more worthy of attention than this melancholy relic 
of the past. 

10. The Flume. — Thus far we have devoted our 
attention exclusively to the eastern group, but the 
Franconia Mountains are as beautiful in their way as 
the others, and no visit to the White Mountains would 
be complete without seeing one or two of the natural 
wonders in that region. The narrow pass before us 
is well known to all tourists as the Flume. It is a 
marvelous fissure in the side of a mountain, to which 
it has given its name. It is about 700 feet long, and 
rocky, perpendicular precipices, from ten to twenty 
feet apart, and from sixty to seventy feet high, form 
its sides. Through the Flume a brilliant little stream 
dashes. For centuries a giant boulder hung sus- 
pended between the cliffs in the upper part of the 
Flume, and was the wonder of every visitor ; but in 
the early summer of 1883 a tremendous avalanche, 
caused by heavy rains on the peaks above, swept the 
boulder away, and scoured out and deepened the 



8 14 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 

gorge. It left, however, in compensation for the loss 
of the suspended boulder, two pretty waterfalls. 

11. The Profile. — One of the most remarkable 
natural formations is the Profile, a wonderful resemb- 
lance to the human face formed by a series of ledges 
on the upper cliffs of Mount Cannon. Tradition 
says that the "Old Man of the Mountain" was wor- 
shiped by the Indians at one time, and whether this 
is true or not, we can readily understand with what 
feelings of awe they must have contemplated these 
majestic features — a veritable Sphynx, sculptured out 
of the everlasting hills ages before the oldest Egyptian 
monuments were formed, or before, indeed, the crea- 
tion of man. The face is formed by three discon- 
nected ledges of granite, in different vertical lines, 
their aggregate height being from thirty-six to forty 
feet by actual measurement. The rocks are rapidly 
crumbling, and it may not be many years before the 
great stone face will have disappeared and will live 
only in pictures and in the many romances which it 
has suggested. 

12. Profile Lake. — From this exquisite sheet of 
water one of the best views of the Profile is to be 
had, but it has an interest of its own entirely apart 
from the mysterious presence which has so long 
brooded over its waters. From this point we obtain 
a vision of the sublime and beautiful, which it would 
be very difficult to duplicate. Before us the rugged 
crags of Eagle Cliff stand out in bold relief, while on 
every side the forest trees come down to the water's 
edge. 



THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 815 

" In the mirror of its tide, 
Tangled thickets on each side 
Hang inverted, and between 
Floating cloud or sky serene." 

In the memory of such a gem of mountain and 
lake scenery we can be content to bring our too short 
trip to the White Mountains to an end. 






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